The Karolinska Institute study said people drinking sugary carbonated soft drinks at least twice a day almost double their risk of getting pancreatic cancer.

Taking sugar in your coffee five times a day increases the risk by 70 percent, said the study, published in the November issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers found the risk increases because sugar consumption causes the pancreas to produce increased amounts of insulin, Sweden's Local newspaper reported.

The United States tops the world in consumption of carbonated drinks, with an average 53 gallons per person each year. Next comes Mexico at 40 gallons, followed by Ireland at 32 gallons and Norway at 31 gallons.

Each year more than 32,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Few people are still alive five years after diagnosis.